The Scottish Football League (SFL) has waived away reports that it has reached any agreement over proposals for the ‘newco’ Rangers to play in the First Division.

With Rangers’ future uncertain, the SFL said it had not reached any deal with any other footballing body to enable the club to take a place in the second tier of Scottish football.

The SFL was responding to reports suggesting Charles Green’s club would be relegated from the Scottish Premier League (SPL) to the First Division with immediate effect.

In a statement, it said: “The Scottish Football League can confirm that no agreement has been reached between the SFL and any other body regarding the position of the Rangers ‘newco’ in the First Division. Consultation will continue to take place, primarily with our clubs, as previously advised.”

SPL clubs, which meet to vote on whether to allow the ‘newco’ to play in the top flight early next month, must give an 8-4 majority if Green’s club is to play SPL football.

But with six clubs having declared that they will vote against and more thought likely to follow their example – Green now looks likely to seek a place somewhere in the SFL.

Major League Baseball team, Houston Astros have fired general manager Ed Wade and team president Tal Smith on Sunday night in the first of the changes promised by new owner Jim Crane.

The moves come less than a week after iSportconnect reported the sale of the team from Drayton McLane to Crane was officially completed last Tuesday, a transaction that requires the franchise to move from the NL Central to the AL West in 2013.

In a news conference on the day owners approved the sale on Nov. 17, Crane vowed to meet with all the executives and “make some very, very quick adjustments.”

He has successfully done this with the Astros announcing the moves late Sunday night in a statement from new team president and chief executive officer George Postolos.

Postolos said: “With the change in ownership, we would like a fresh start in baseball operations. We have told Ed Wade and Tal Smith that we are making a change.”

The search for a new general manager will begin immediately. Assistant general manager Dave Gottfried will serve as interim GM, but will not be considered for the permanent job.

Postolos said the Astros want a candidate who has a strong commitment to player development necessary for long-term success.

“Our goal is to consistently compete for a championship, and we know the first step towards that goal is to develop one of the top farm systems in baseball,” Postolos said. “We will hire the best candidate available to achieve our goal.”

Wade was hired in September 2007 after spending the previous two years as a professional scout for the San Diego Padres. He was the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1998 until he was fired after the 2005 season.

Smith, who has been team president since 1994, has spent more than 50 years as a baseball executive and more than 30 of those years have been with the Astros. He worked for the franchise in its first season in 1962 when the team was known as the Houston Colt .45s and remained in Houston until 1972.

He spent some time working for the Yankees before returning as general manager of the Astros from 1975-80.

Smith’s input was key in the development of both the Astrodome and Minute Maid Park. A small hill in center field at Minute Maid Park is known as Tal’s Hill as a nod to his work on the project.

With regret, order the ITF, ampoule in consultation with Tennis New Zealand and Canterbury Tennis, bronchi has decided to cancel the 2011 ITF Seniors World Individual Championships scheduled to be played in Christchurch, New Zealand next week. The ITF Seniors World Team Championships currently being played in Timaru and Ashburton will continue as planned.

The organisers will now make every effort to ensure the safe return home for all participants. The ITF thanks Tennis New Zealand and the organisers from Canterbury Tennis for all their efforts on behalf of the Seniors World Team and Individual Championships.

“We send our sincere sympathies to the people of Christchurch who have suffered so much due to the earthquake that hit their city on Tuesday,” said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. “While we are, of course, relieved that all the players, captains and officials who were in Christchurch this week are safe, we are mindful of the loss of life and the large number of injuries that have occurred in Christchurch. We thank Tennis New Zealand and Canterbury Tennis for their outstanding efforts on behalf of the Seniors World Team and Individual Championships. We also thank the players for their support of both events and their willingness to play on in these difficult conditions.”

British broadcaster, there ITV will continue to broadcast live free-to-air television coverage of the MSA British Touring Car Championship until at least 2017.

With one year of the current agreement remaining a new three-year addition to the existing partnership has now been signed. 

The 60-minute race highlights programmes will  continue on ITV, ITV HD, ITV4 and ITV4 HD in the week following each live event. These will be repeated three times and are also available to view for 30 days after broadcast via the online ITV Player. The itv.com website will again include live streaming of the Saturday afternoon qualifying session and will have a comprehensive catalogue of race highlights available throughout the season.

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: “ITV’s commitment to the BTCC is unrivalled in British motor sport. I’m absolutely delighted to have signed this new contract, which maintains the same vast level of free-to-air coverage the series currently enjoys until at least 2017.

“The determination from both parties to finalise this deal, more than a year before the expiration of our current contract, is testament to the strength and huge appeal of the BTCC. Many of our teams have been able to sign long-term deals with partners during what’s become a record-breaking age for the BTCC and this new broadcasting agreement will enable them to further build for the future.

“ITV’s commitment means that more than 230 hours of each BTCC season will be broadcast… and, of course, a great many more hours if we include ITV’s ‘+1 hour’ rebroadcast stations to those figures. This new deal further validates the unrivalled popularity and strength of the BTCC and our incredibly strong relationship with ITV is something that I’m immensely proud of.”

Niall Sloane, Director of Sport at ITV said: “The British Touring Car Championship has been a hit with viewers on ITV4, and ITV Sport is delighted to have secured the rights until at least the end of the 2016 season. We look forward to more great racing and stories in the years to come as the BTCC continues to evolve.”

Sydney FC will offer free public transport to games at Allianz Stadium for ticket holders during the 2012-13 A-League season.

With a the recent founding of a rival club, find Western Sydney Wanderers,  Sydney FC said it is sending a ”strong message that the Sky Blues will not be neglecting any of their loyal fans, no matter where they live in Sydney.”

The deal also applies to away ticket holders and and includes supporters of Newcastle, Central Coast and West Sydney when their teams play Sydney at Allianz Stadium.

Sydney FC CEO, Tony Pignata, said: “Sydney FC has members and fans all over Sydney and we will not be deserting them.”

“Sydney FC has worked hard over the last eight years to form relationships with members, fans, football clubs and associations all over Sydney and we will be loyal to those people in the face of what is an exciting rivalry with Western Sydney.”

The transport deal was agreed with Transport for NSW to allow Sydney FC fans to use rail, bus and ferries to get to Allianz Stadium on matchday.

“Sydney FC acknowledges the financial burden travelling to and from any sporting event can have on families and this should help lighten that burden,” Pignata said.{jcomments on}

 

Dave Ryan, the former McLaren sporting director who left the team in the wake of the Lewis Hamilton lying scandal at the start of 2009, is on the brink of a return to Formula 1 with Renault.

The New Zealander, who earned huge respect during his 35-year spell at McLaren, has travelled to the Brazilian Grand Prix with Renault to take a look at the operation and consider whether there is an opportunity for him to join the outfit properly.

Renault team principal Eric Boullier said that the weekend would be spent with both Ryan and the outfit getting to know each other.

“He is a Genii [Renault owners] consultant,” Boullier told Autosport.

“I think he has valuable experience from McLaren, which can be a help for us. He is here to meet the team, meet us and see how things go.”

When asked whether there was a possibility of Ryan joining the outfit full time, Boullier said: “Maybe, but I don’t know yet.”

The 13th edition of the Sports Merchandise Exhibition (SMEX), set to take place at Wembley Stadium on Monday 14th March, is shaping up to be biggest yet.

In keeping with tradition, SMEX 2011 will continue to provide the very best platform from which to find brandable products or services to increase the merchandising opportunities within any sporting club.

With over 120 manufacturers and distributors exhibiting at the event, combined with nearly 700 key decision makers and buyers from over 22 sports, SMEX 2011 is a unique opportunity to meet face-to-face and see the very latest innovative merchandise products and services available today.

The event has broken all previous records with 1,000 ticket requests to be at Wembley Stadium this March.

From the Premier League finest clubs down to the important grassroot teams, this year’s Sports Merchandise Exhibition is proving the place to be. If you are looking for:

• * Branded Merchandise
• * Corporate Gifts
• * Retail Products
• * Promotional Ideas
• * Give Away Gifts
• * Staff uniforms
• * Hospitality Products

Or are in charge of:

• * Increasing Revenue
• * Marketing
• * Increasing fan interaction
• * Security Systems
• * Retail Development
• * Buying the mascot costume

You should be at the show.

To request your free ticket please visit www.smexevent.com

If you have any questions regarding the show, please call SMEX on +44 (0)20 7798 8500

The Canadian Football League (CFL) and Bell Media’s TSN and RDS have announced a broad new multi-platform broadcast agreement that extends their long-term partnership through to 2018.

As part of the extension, TSN and RDS secure exclusive media rights to all CFL pre-season and regular season games, playoffs, and the Canadian icon that is the Grey Cup, as well as to the CFL Draft and CFL Combine. The CFL regular season broadcast schedule expands to 81 games next year in 2014 when the new Ottawa franchise joins the league. The CFL will also see additional games broadcast in French with more games being broadcast on RDS2.

In addition to broadcast and digital rights, the deal includes exclusive radio rights to the Grey Cup for TSN and TEAM Radio stations.

“This new agreement is a testament to the strength of today’s CFL, our tremendous partnership with TSN and RDS, and their important position in the marketplace as Canada’s sports leaders,” said Mark Cohon , the Commissioner of the CFL. “It’s a transformative deal, both for the growth of our league and its presentation. It’s an important component of our league’s bright future, along with great performances on the field, fan support in the stands, and new stadiums across the country.”

“The CFL is one of Canada’s leading sports properties and has been one of the main audience drivers on the TSN and RDS schedules. We are extremely proud and honoured to have been a key partner in helping to make the CFL such an important part of the Canadian landscape,” said Phil King , President of CTV Programming and Sports. “TSN and RDS are committed to delivering the biggest events in sports to our subscribers and telling the country’s most compelling sports stories. The CFL delivers superbly on both fronts. All of us are looking forward to adding even more games in 2014 with the Ottawa franchise joining the league.”

TSN has been broadcasting CFL games since 1986 and RDS has been a CFL broadcaster since 1989. In 2008, TSN and RDS became the exclusive broadcasters of the CFL and the Grey Cup. Since that time the networks have established new audience records for CFL broadcasts. Last year’s 100^th Grey Cup game on TSN was the most watched ever on English-language television, averaging 5.4 million viewers through the historic telecast.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League has continued to see record audience figures during the Group Stages of the 2012 edition.

Viewing figures across Australia, China, Japan, Korea and the Middle East have seen significant increases over the competition’s showing during 2011, with cumulative audiences rising by an impressive 46 percent.

Ratings across the four nations and the Middle East show almost 200 million viewers – with a combined reach of more than 671 million – tuned in to watch Asia’s leading clubs face off in the Group Stages of the annual continental club championship, which pits domestic league champions and cup winners against one another.

Such has been the popularity of Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande that games featuring the club from southern China occupy the top five most-watched matches in the competition in China so far this season.

Guangzhou’s progress to the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League has given the tournament a significant boost, with China contributing a combined viewership of almost 92 million for the Group Stages and a total of 105 million so far this season.

The cumulative TV audience in China for the 2012 AFC Champions League is already 47 million ahead of the 58 million total achieved for the whole competition in 2011.

The competition’s popularity among TV viewers is also reflected in Japan, where the AFC Champions League garnered 86.37 million viewers for the Group Stages, an increase of 43 percent over figures at the same stage in 2011.

The figure is just shy of the highest recorded figures for the tournament in Japan, when 86.87 million watched the Group Stages in 2009.

And the story is much the same in the Middle East where 19.46 million viewers watched the Group Stage of the competition, an increase of 6.56 million – or 51 percent – on those recorded in 2011.

Those figures are sure to increase when the latter stages of the competition kick off in late September, with three clubs from Saudi Arabia involved in the quarterfinals.

“I am happy that the AFC Champions League viewership continues to increase and this is because of the well-planned and intense efforts of the AFC to raise the quality of play on the pitch as well as the all-round tournament standards,” said AFC Acting President Zhang Jilong.

“The rise in television audience numbers also underlines our belief that we are headed in the right direction as far as the continent’s premier club competition is concerned. This is good news for all our sponsors too as their brands get maximum visibility and exposure in Asia.”

“It’s very encouraging to witness the continued growth in popularity of the AFC Champions League as the profile of club football at continental level increases,” said Nick Mould, President, East Asia, World Sport Group.

“Since its inception in 2002, the AFC Champions League has given clubs greater opportunities both on the field of play and commercially while the experience gained by players and officials alike has played a major role in improving the standard of football throughout Asia.

“With the emergence of teams such as Guangzhou Evergrande joining established clubs like Bunyodkor and Al Ittihad, who have enjoyed prolonged success at this level, we are confident the profile and quality of the competition will continue to grow further.”

Two-time winners Al Ittihad host Guangzhou Evergrande in Jeddah on September 19 before the return fixture is held in China on October 2. Fellow Saudi sides Al Ahli and Al Hilal take on Iran’s Sepahan and Ulsan Hyundai from Korea Republic respectively.

Adelaide United from Australia’s A-League, meanwhile, will face off against Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan in the remaining quarterfinal, with the semifinals due to be played on October 24 and 30 with the final to be played in November.

FIFA have appointed Swiss anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth to lead the Independent Governance Committee which will reform soccer’s world governing body following a series of scandals.

FIFA picked Pieth for its “solutions committee” that will oversee reforms president Sepp Blatter promised after winning re-election in June, following a bribery-tainted campaign by his only challenger.

The University of Basel professor will outline the scope of his expert panel’s work at a news conference next week, FIFA said.

In 2004, Pieth was chosen by the United Nations to serve on an independent inquiry team examining alleged corruption in the Iraqi oil-for-food program.

Blatter has pegged the “solutions” panel — which FIFA now calls the Independent Governance Committee — to have a key role analyzing areas for reform plus past allegations that require further probing.

Pieth has taken a role that Blatter initially suggested might be filled by former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

FIFA has said up to 18 members of Pieth’s team would be identified on Dec. 17 after an executive meeting in Tokyo.

Pieth’s team will receive reports from four FIFA task forces before recommending reforms.

He has previously helped the Swiss federal justice department draft laws to curb “money laundering, organized crime, drug abuse, corruption and the confiscation of assets,” according to his biography published by the Basel Institute on Governance.

For the past 21 years, Pieth has led an advisory group on bribery in international business for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.